Letter to the editor: Shell plant is good for community
Behind the walls of Shell’s petrochemicals plant in Monaca, hundreds of hardworking members of our community keep the facility operating safely and efficiently. I grew up in a rural town with a smaller population, so I understand how families need good jobs like these to raise their families and maintain...
Editorial: Youth sports shouldn’t be a privilege for the rich
It’s often said a parent’s love can’t be measured, but a recent survey on youth sports may come close. For each day a child plays a sport, researchers found, parents expend three hours and 23 minutes in effort: organizing and driving, watching games and practices, making snacks and doing laundry....
Letter to the editor: Clean energy will help us protect Earth
April is Earth Month — a time to savor the wonderful planet that gives us bright blue skies, breathtaking mountains, wide-open plains, serene river valleys and lakes, captivating forests, and an endless variety of plants and animals. Earth Month is also time for considering what more should be done to...
Letter to the editor: Bring integrity back to mayoral office in Aspinwall
Anyone who has been around Aspinwall for their entire life, like I have, knows that the Mount Rushmore of Aspinwall leadership includes men of honor and integrity like Art Esser, Ben Killian and Joe Noro. These fine gentlemen wanted to serve the community simply because they love(d) this town with...
Peter St. Onge and E.J. Antoni: Social Security nears the cliff. Will Americans be thrown over?
The long-promised bankruptcy of Social Security is coming into view, with the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) warning checks could be automatically cut by 20% in just six years. Will we spend our golden years driving delivery for the golden arches? The CBO is warning that, under current law, Social Security...
Allison Schrager: New York City can’t afford both big pensions and free buses
Cities such as New York and Chicago are in deep financial trouble. Broadly speaking, they have two options: Make the difficult but appropriate choice to raise taxes and reduce the scale of government, or continue to live in a state of denial, increasing their pension obligations while also promising their...
Letter to the editor: Pause taxes and freebies during shutdowns
Since elected officials won’t vote for term limits and continue to fail their jobs by not passing budgets, here’s a thought. When government shuts down, all forms of taxes are stopped. No income tax, sales taxes, estate taxes and so forth. Also no perks, free meals and per diems to...
Letter to the editor: Alcohol awareness
April is Alcohol Awareness Month, a time to reflect on your alcohol consumption. For adults who choose to drink, the new 2025-30 Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasize moderation, advise that drinking less is better for overall health than drinking more and note that some people should not drink at all....
Letter to the editor: Fiscal accountability for cyber charter schools
Regarding Timothy Eller’s letter “Never enough cyber savings” (March 12, TribLive): According to the Pennsylvania auditor general, during a three-year period, Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA) has spent over $196 million to purchase and renovate 21-plus buildings across the state. CCA has confirmed that it has set aside between $452 million and $610 million...
Correction
The Shell plant is on the Ohio River. The letter “Shell plant continues to pollute” (April 5, TribLive) listed an incorrect location....
Editorial: Jail notification shouldn’t be optional
When you fill out a form to do anything, there is certain information you expect to provide. Name. Address. Phone number or email. Those are the ways you are identified, how your residency is established and how you can be contacted. Then there is a next of kin or emergency...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Donald Trump is no John F. Kennedy
It had been a long time since I thought of those scary days during the Cuban Missile Crisis when the world seemed on the brink of nuclear war, but Donald Trump’s wild rhetoric toward Iran over Easter week brought those memories back. For 13 days in October 1962, President John...
Abby McCloskey: I love data, but K-12 standardized tests have lost the plot
Student test scores aren’t looking good, and schools aren’t being held accountable for poor results. That’s not even considering whether the right things are being tested. I learned this the hard way. My family is zoned for a high-performing public elementary school in Texas — one where students consistently score...
Gavin Mitsdarfer: Student teachers should be paid for their work
I knew from an early age that someday I would be a teacher. Throughout my childhood, teachers were always there for me, giving me the safe spaces I needed. When I faced bullying as a young high school student and the loss of my father after my first year of...
Letter to the editor: Government hypocrisy
Regarding the article “Pittsburgh looks to charge $5 an hour for on-street parking near NFL Draft” (April 1, TribLive): A City Council member proposes an increase for city parking and parking fines while the latest issue from the federal government is a call to rein in “out of control college...
Letter to the editor: Reschenthaler’s silence
Recent statements from President Donald J. Trump, including threats to target Iranian infrastructure and rhetoric suggesting “complete and total regime change,” are not just reckless; they raise serious legal and moral concerns. Intentionally targeting civilian infrastructure and openly contemplating regime change risk violating international law and endangering countless innocent lives....
Editorial: For some, staying home during NFL Draft isn’t an option
In preparation for the vast crowds expected to flood Pittsburgh for the NFL Draft, proactive steps are being taken. Businesses are allowing — or encouraging — employees to work from home. Pittsburgh Public Schools will have students attend remotely. Allegheny County courtrooms won’t close down, but they won’t be working...
Lori Falce: Constitution Under Construction: Pleading the FifthVideo
A window might look clear and bright and simple — just a slice of glass that lets in light and keeps out the cold. But like a drawbridge, it is more complicated than it looks, relying on a balance of weight and counterweight to grant or deny access. So does...
Letter to the editor: Invest in our youth, not data centers
Proponents of massive data centers often promise a digital frontier of high-tech growth, but a sober analysis reveals a different reality. These billion-dollar projects certainly provide a “blue-collar gold rush” during construction, creating a temporary surge in high-paying trade jobs. However, once the ribbon is cut, the “high-tech” job engine...
S.E. Cupp: An open letter to Trump voters
Tuesday morning, the president of the United States threatened genocide against another nation, all because he does not know how to get out of a war he started to distract Americans from his terrible economy, disastrous immigration headlines and attempts to bury the Epstein files. “A whole civilization will die...
Letter to the editor: Protesters should get over it
When I see coverage of the “No Kings” protests on TV, I change the channel. You people lost the election. Get over it. We lost the election in 2020, and we had to put up with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for four years and a news media that covered...
Letter to the editor: Francis will bring fresh perspective to District 57
This year, Westmoreland County residents finally have a choice for Pennsylvania House of Representative in District 57. Frankly, the right-wing platform of fewer regulations, a stagnant minimum wage, an absence of affordable health care and constant attacks on free and fair elections is stale and out of touch. Democratic candidate...
Laurels & lances: Blastoff & beer
Laurel: To blasting off. The University of Pittsburgh is reaching for the stars. This week, all eyes were on the skies as Artemis II took off with the most ambitious space mission in decades. The 10-day trip sent four astronauts toward the moon, circling the far side before returning with...
Letter to the editor: Trump, the great dealmaker
People have often justified the president’s personal failings by arguing that they make him a good deal-maker. The Iran crisis shows me why this argument fails. President Trump wants the Europeans to deploy military forces to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. This follows a year of insulting Europe and...
Paul Kengor: A note to Trump supporters — the pope is being the pope
In a striking scene last Friday, the new American pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, carried the cross through all 14 stations of the Via Crucis at the Colosseum. This historic event occurs every Good Friday, with each station representing a moment along Christ’s path to Calvary. Each moment is recounted prayerfully...
